Spiky but fragile Ophiacantha brittle stars are among the hundreds of newly described species found off the southeastern coast of Australia.

In October 2008 researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) released the above picture of the brittle star along with images of other marine species new to science.

Using advanced technology such as multibeam sonar and powerful cameras, scientists were able to probe to depths of 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) below the sea, shooting 8,000 pictures and more than a hundred hours of video footage.